Results For Switzerland Research Articles

I-wave Transcutaneous Thermotherapy for The Treatment of Benign Prostate Hyperthrophy and Pelvic Dysfunction In men

I-wave heat therapy produces microwave-like energy using a high-frequency electromagnetic field to achieve an optimal hyperthermia effect on the targeted organs. One of the advantages of this non-invasive and effective method is that it uses the body's natural response to the application of heat to produce a desired therapeutic effect. This innovative, non-invasive and very promising method, which also requires no anesthesia, is performed in the practitioner's office on an outpatient basis. Regarding urological indications, it is Benign Prostate Hypertrophy and inflammatory prostatitis including pelvic dysfunction that will be mainly treated. However, many other indications are applicable and some are under evaluation. In this paper, we present a review of one of these techniques concerning the principle of i-wave external thermotherapy. In a separate article we will present our patient group and the first clinical results in Switzerland.

I-wave Transcutaneous Thermotherapy for the Treatment of Benign Prostate Hypertrophy and Pelvic Dysfunction in Men

I-wave heat therapy produces microwave-like energy using a high-frequency electromagnetic field to achieve an optimal hyperthermia effect on the targeted organs. One of the advantages of this non-invasive and effective method is that it uses the body’s natural response to the application of heat to produce a desired therapeutic effect. This innovative, non-invasive and very promising method, which also requires no anesthesia, is performed in the practitioner’s office on an outpatient basis. Regarding urological indications, it is Benign Prostate Hypertrophy and inflammatory prostatitis including pelvic dysfunction that will be mainly treated. However, many other indications are applicable and some are under evaluation. In this paper, we present a review of one of these techniques concerning the principle of i-wave external thermotherapy. In a separate article we will present our patient group and the first clinical results in Switzerland.

Real-World Effectiveness of Insulin Glargine 300 Initiation in Switzerland.

IntroductionInsulin glargine 300 U/mL (Gla-300; Toujeo®) is a second-generation once-daily basal insulin. Previous randomized controlled trials showed comparable HbA1c reductions with lower rates of hypoglycemia of Gla-300 versus Gla-100.Patients and MethodsWe report the 12 months results of the Swiss cohort of Toujeo-1, a prospective, observational multicenter study exploring the real-world effectiveness of Gla-300 in adult patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) uncontrolled (HbA1c 7.5–10%) on oral therapy and compared these to the overall Toujeo-1 cohort (conducted in Switzerland and Germany). Primary endpoint was the percentage of patients achieving individual HbA1c targets. Secondary endpoints included changes in HbA1c, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), body weight, insulin dose, incidence of hypoglycemia and overall safety.ResultsThe analysis included 47 patients (14 women) with a mean age of 64.1 years and a diabetes duration of 8.4 years. Swiss physicians determined a higher HbA1c treatment target (7.4 vs. 7.0%) and patients received higher Gla-300 doses at baseline (20.2 vs. 14.7 units/day) and the 12-month follow-up (31.0 vs. 26.2 units/kg) than in the total cohort (n=721). After 12 months, the addition of Gla-300 reduced HbA1c by 1.5% (p<0.0001) to an HbA1c of 7.2%, and FPG by 3.3 mmol/L (p<0.0001) to an FPG of 7.1 mmol/L. At 12 months, 70.2% achieved their individual HbA1c target, more than in the overall Toujeo-1 cohort (49.9%). Body weight remained stable throughout. Only episodes of symptomatic, non-severe hypoglycemic events were documented (2.1%) with similar rates as for the overall Toujeo-1 population.ConclusionIn patients with T2D on oral therapy and newly treated with basal insulin, Gla-300 improves glycemic control with a low risk of hypoglycemia and no increase of body weight. The results for Switzerland are consistent with those reported for the overall Toujeo-1 cohort and reveal that treatment targets and approaches slightly differ between both countries.

Supported employment in Switzerland-Are we on track?

Supported employment (SE) was introduced to Switzerland in 2002. Since then, an increasing number of SE programs have been launched across Switzerland. This article reviews the state of SE in Switzerland. Several Individual Placement and Support (IPS-SE) studies have been conducted in Switzerland. We reviewed the implementation, results, and possible future developments related to all Swiss IPS-SE studies. Studies have demonstrated that IPS-SE programs can be successfully implemented with excellent results in Switzerland, but most vocational rehabilitation programs do not provide SE. While SE is becoming the first choice for vocational rehabilitation in Switzerland, development and potential improvements are underway. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Siting deep geothermal energy: Acceptance of various risk and benefit scenarios in a Swiss-German cross-national study

Deep geothermal energy projects offer low-carbon, renewable base-load resources for electricity and heat production. Siting such projects can be challenging because past projects have induced seismicity. This suggests siting projects in remote areas away from populated areas and infrastructure, with minimal seismic risks. However, deep geothermal projects are most viable when they use residual heat, which requires proximity to heat consumers and thus, ideally, a rather urban environment. Hence, siting options carry various risks and benefits. It is informative to see how the public responds to these risks and benefits. This study investigates how well the public accepts various heat benefits when induced seismic risks are comparatively high or low. Respondents rated their acceptance of four deep geothermal energy scenarios in an online survey (N = 814) conducted in Switzerland and Germany. Conjoint and mixed multivariate statistical analyses show that the public prefers projects sited in remote areas and using residual heat for industrial applications. The results in Switzerland and Germany were rather similar, but the Swiss public was generally more positive. Importantly, induced seismic risks affected acceptance ratings most strongly. Thus, policies to reduce the risk of induced seismicity must be given the highest priority to enable an open dialogue.

The potential of electric trucks – An international commodity-level analysis

Development of battery technology is making battery electric heavy duty trucks technically and commercially viable and several manufacturers have introduced battery electric trucks recently. However, the national and sectoral differences in freight transport operations affect the viability of electric trucks. The aim of this paper is to develop a methodology for estimating the potential of electric trucks and demonstrate the results in Switzerland and Finland. Commodity-level analysis of the continuous road freight survey data were carried out in both countries. As much as 71% of Swiss road freight transport tonne-kilometers may be electrified using battery electric trucks but Finland has very limited potential of 35%, due to the use of long and heavy truck-trailer combinations. Within both countries the electrification potential varies considerably between commodities, although in Finland more so than in Switzerland. Commodities which are constrained by payload volume rather than weight and are to large extent carried using medium duty or <26t rigid trucks trucks seem to provide high potential for electrification even with the current technology. Electric trucks increase the annual electricity consumption by only 1–3%, but truck charging is likely to have a large impact on local grids near logistics centres and rest stations along major roads. A spatial analysis by routing the trips reported in the datasets used in this study should be carried out. Future research should also include comparison between the alternate ways of electrifying road freight transport, i.e. batteries with charging, batteries with battery swapping and electrified road systems.

Spatial and temporal analysis of fatal off-piste and backcountry avalanche accidents in Austria with a comparison of results in Switzerland, France, Italy and the US

Abstract. In this article we analyzed spatial and temporal patterns of fatal Austrian avalanche accidents caused by backcountry and off-piste skiers and snowboarders within the winter periods 1967/1968–2015/2016. The data were based on reports of the Austrian Board for Alpine Safety and reports of the information services of the federal states. Using the date and the location of the recorded avalanche accidents, we were able to carry out spatial and temporal analyses applying generalized additive models and Markov random-field models. As a result of the trend analysis we noticed an increasing trend of backcountry and off-piste avalanche fatalities within the winter periods 1967/1968–2015/2016 (although slightly decreasing in recent years), which is in contradiction to the widespread opinion in Austria that the number of fatalities is constant over time. Additionally, we compared Austrian results with results of Switzerland, France, Italy and the US based on data from the International Commission of Alpine Rescue (ICAR). As a result of the spatial analysis, we noticed two hot spots of avalanche fatalities (Arlberg–Silvretta and Sölden). Because of the increasing trend and the rather narrow regional distribution of the fatalities, initiatives aimed at preventing avalanche accidents were highly recommended.

New insights into the burden and costs of multiple sclerosis in Europe: Results for Switzerland

Introduction: To estimate the value of interventions in multiple sclerosis (MS) – where lifetime costs and outcomes cannot be observed – outcome data have to be combined with costs. This requires that cost data be regularly updated. Objectives and methods: This study is part of a cross-sectional retrospective study in 16 countries collecting data on resource consumption and work capacity, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and prevalent symptoms for patients with MS. Descriptive analyses are presented by level of severity, from the societal perspective, in CHF 2015. Results: A total of 721 patients (mean age 48 years) participated in Switzerland; 90% were below retirement age, and of these, 65% were employed. Employment was related to disease severity, and MS affected productivity at work for 69% of patients. Overall, 93% and 64% of patients experienced fatigue and cognition as a problem, respectively. The mean utility and annual costs were 0.799 and 29,600CHF at Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) 0–3, 0.614 and 66,800CHF at EDSS 4–6.5 and 0.348 and 110,800CHF at EDSS 7–9, respectively. The mean cost of a relapse was estimated at 7600CHF. Conclusion: This study provides current data on MS in Switzerland that are important for development of health policies and to estimate the value of current and future treatments.

Economic evaluation of varicella vaccination in Swiss children and adolescents

This study explores the effects of three different 2-dose varicella zoster virus (VZV) vaccination strategies in Switzerland. The EVITA model was used to assess clinical benefits and costs of strategies 1) vaccination of 11-15 year old adolescents with a negative or uncertain history for chickenpox, 2) universal vaccination of toddlers at age 1 to 2 years, and 3) strategy 2 plus catch-up vaccination of 11-15 year old susceptible adolescents. The cost-effectiveness analysis compares strategies 2 and 3 versus strategy 1 (current vaccination policy in Switzerland). Probabilities for clinical outcomes and medical resource utilization were derived from a real-world survey among Swiss pediatricians and general practitioners including 236 individuals with VZV infection, published information on varicella complications, and expert opinion. Costs of medical resource utilization represent official Swiss medical tariffs. The model predicts both universal childhood vaccination strategies to be more effective in reducing varicella disease burden compared to strategy 1. Economically, both universal childhood vaccination strategies with or without catch-up result in net savings from the societal perspective reflected by a benefit cost ratio (BCR) of 1.22 or 1.29, respectively. In contrast, the model predicts net costs from the payer perspective (BCR of 0.27 and 0.30, respectively). These economic findings are comparable to those reported from other similar evaluations. However, due to the recent recommendation for using a 2-dose varicella vaccination schedule, our economic results for Switzerland are somewhat less favorable than those for other country analyses in which a less expensive 1-dose vaccination regimen for toddlers has been studied.

A Knight without a Sword? The Effects of Audit Courts on Tax Morale

The intention of this paper is to analyse how audit courts affect tax morale, controlling in a multivariate analysis for a broad variety of potential factors. Switzerland, with its variety of audit-court competence among the cantons, has been analysed. With data from the ISSP [1998] (Swiss data 1999), evidence has been found that higher audit-court competence has a significantly positive effect on tax morale. Thus, the results in Switzerland suggest that in the cantons where audit courts are not just knights without swords; they help improve taxpayers' tax morale and thus citizens' intrinsic motivation to pay taxes.

Is There Information About Future Inflation in the Term Structure? Empirical Results for Switzerland

Using Swiss data from 1983 to 1996, we first use the approach developed by MISHKIN and are able to reproduce very similar results for Switzerland. However, these results are extremely unstable, once further variables are introduced in the equations. After checking for the order of integration we use cointegration methods and show that in nearly all cases the hypotheses behind the MISHKIN approach have to be rejected. Thus, this approach can hardly be used to predict future Swiss inflation. Moreover, the apparently successful application of this approach depends more on the negative correlation between short-term interest and long-term inflation rates than on a positive correlation between long-term interest and inflation rates.

A complete system of dynamic demand functions

The purpose of this paper is to formulate a dynamic version of the theory of the consumer, based on the introduction of stocks into the utility function. A general demand function is developed and its properties (generalized Slutsky conditions) are analyzed. To arrive at an estimable model, a quadratic dynamic utility function is used. On that basis, a complete system of fourteen demand equations is estimated, using Swiss time series data (1948–1968).Consumer theory is undoubtedly one of the most solid components of economic theory. In the past fifty years, the efforts of economists have been mainly devoted to its axiomatization and simplification. 2 Considering a wider range of hypotheses, they have also attempted various generalizations.In the present paper, we shall offer a dynamic version, 3 by introducing a variable related to past behavior.In the first section, after a brief review of the principal results of the static theory, we discuss the suggested dynamization. Then, in the second section, we present a model that can be tested. The results for Switzerland are analyzed in the third section.

Endemic Goitre in New Zealand, and its Relation to the Soil-iodine Studies from the University of Otago, New Zealand.

The incidence of goitre among school-children in New Zealand has been determined by the examinations made by one of us (Hercus) and by the officers of the School Medical Service, of over 80,000 children. The proportion of men of military age who were unfitted for active service on account of goitre was ascertained during the examination of over 135,000 recruits by the Military Medical Boards in the years 1916–1918. Additional information has also been derived from hospital records, by the number of operations for goitre.The amount of iodine has been determined in nearly five hundred samples of soil, obtained from all parts of New Zealand, together with samples of a number of waters from mineral springs and town supplies.In order to ascertain whether any relation exists between the amount of iodine in the soil of any district (considered as a soil of plant food, and therefore indirectly of human food), we have divided the Dominion into thirty-three districts, each homogeneous as far as possible in its geological and geographical circumstances, and have ascertained the average amount of iodine in soil and average incidence of goitre among school-children within each district, utilising certain defined methods of soil-analysis and diagnosis of goitre. It is proved that the following relation is approximately true throughout: viz, percentage incidence of goitre among school-children is equal to 6 plus the quotient of 360 divided by the amount of iodine in ten million parts of soil, so long as this does not exceed 50, assuming defined methods of medical examination and chemical analysis. When the soil is abnormally rich in iodine the constant 6 must be diminished. Further (though the records are here less complete), the relation between the average amount of iodine in the soil and the percentage of military recruits medically rejected on account of goitre is of the same general nature, the latter figure being about one-twentieth of the incidence among school-children, though this proportion must also be diminished in regions in which iodine is particularly abundant.Approximately, therefore, the incidence of the disease is inversely proportional to the amount of iodine in the soil. Further, where, though the incidence of goitre is low, the amount of iodine in the soil is abnormally low, we have proved that it is present in the water supply in greater amounts than usual, and the daily intake of iodine among the inhabitants of such a district is thereby maintained. Further, regions in which the average amount of soiliodine is low are also those in which goitre is most frequently seen amongst the domestic animals.Though there are certain points as yet unexplained, the whole body of facts is too large, and the relationship too consistent, to be fortuitous. We believe, therefore, that the hypothesis that goitre is caused by a deficiency of iodine in the diet has been fully sustained by the present investigation. Reasons have been deduced also for believing that a relation holds between the incidence of goitre and the distribution of geological formations (as determining the nature of the soil) in New Zealand, Switzerland, and perhaps in other countries.Further, a study has been made of the prophylactic treatment of schoolchildren in New Zealand, by administering small amounts of iodine weekly. This has hitherto had fairly good results. We believe that the best method of prophylaxis, considered on physiological grounds, as well as those of efficiency and economy, would be daily ingestion of minute amounts of iodine, obtained by the utilisation for all culinary and table purposes of an iodised salt, in which 1 part of potassium iodide had been added to 200,000 of sodium chloride—the method which has been attended by such satisfactory results in Switzerland. This would afford the minimum amount of 0·005 mg. per day, which seems necessary for the functional requirements of the thyroid gland, while it would be far too small to have any ill-effects in the production of hyperthyroidism.A consideration also has been given to the source of the iodine in soils and natural waters in the light of our own analyses and those of previous investigators, especially Dr Th. v. Fellenberg, whose work has been of the greatest assistance to us.